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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Farthingdale tell the council about his head wound?

2. What did the British intercept a couple of days before Christmas?

3. What is the name of Sharpe's daughter?

4. On the day after Christmas how do the convent and the castle appear to the French?

5. What is Hakeswill doing during the battles?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the first actions Sharpe takes after the war council?

2. What does Hakeswill do during the battle and after the French are repulsed?

3. What happens to the first two French attacks?

4. What do the French ask for after the British rocket attack?

5. What happens to Hakeswill when the French arrive?

6. Who does Shapre meet from the French forces and how does that meeting go? How do the French feel about the British?

7. What does Sharpe arrange the day after the war council?

8. What happens after the French retreat?

9. Where do the French concentrate their artillery fire and why? What is the British response?

10. What do the British do when they capture the castle and what do some of Pot-au-Fea's men do?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The evidence of murder, torture, and mass rape is throughout the convent. Sharpe watches a woman being tortured by being branded on her breasts with a red-hot iron. The Elsewhere women are systematically tortured in sexually stylistic ways.

1. Present and analyze the treatment of women in Sharpe's Enemy.

2. Cornwell is trying to be historically accurate, so is his treatment of women in his book(s) justified? Why or why not?

3. Is there any way Cornwell could have presented women in a more positive light and still stayed historically accurate? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Though this novel is probably more action driven rather than character driven, obviously there are several characters who make the novel what it is. Discuss one of the following:

1. Compare/contrast the characters of Sharpe and Ducos. Include their goals, sense of honor, abilities and social skills.

2. Compare/contrast the characters of Harper and Hakeswill.

3. Thoroughly analyze the character of Richard Sharpe discussing both his strong and weak points and how both affect the outcome of the plot.

Essay Topic 3

When Sharpe and Dubreton present their gold to Pot-au-Fea and Hakeswill the men take the gold but refuse to release the woman. There is some inconsistency in this situation as Sharpe and Hakeswill's last confrontation in another book would definitely preclude Hakeswill inviting Sharpe to join them. Also, the fact that Pot-au-Fea and Hakeswill allow the four men to leave is inconsistent with their characterization. These two items are necessary for the plot but they are more of a narrative contrivance than believable.

1. With research, define narrative contrivance and how it is used in several places in Sharpe's Enemy. Do you think the plot could have been satisfied without it? Why or why not? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

2. Do you think narrative contrivances detract from Sharpe's Enemy by placing too much reliance on readers' gullibility? Why or why not? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

3. When you read of the two contrivances above, did it stop you and make you pause in your reading to consider Hakeswill allowing Sharpe, his sworn enemy to leave? What do you think, in real life would have happened to Sharpe? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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